Beginners Guide to Music File Formats

Are you confused by the various types of music file formats out there? Most of you would have heard of the popular MP3 format, but are you aware there are other alternative digital music formats like WAV, WMA, RA and MIDI? Some of these give better sound quality than MP3 (e.g. the WAV format) but also need more disk storage space. Others like WMA give file sizes smaller than the MP3 format and are more suited for portable music players.

Let's run through the various file formats now:

The MP3 File Format

MP3 files have the extension ".mp3" and are available for download from many web sites. MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) technology compresses a sound sequence into a very small file (usually one twelfth of of the original file size). The designers of MP3 compression algorithm managed to do this by eliminating sounds that the human ear cannot perceive. While MP3 technology is impressive, it has been abused by music pirates. One can very easily create MP3 files from commercial CDs and make them available for download. The RIAA and major music companies have been cracking down on the distribution and sharing of MP3 files in this manner.

The WMA File Format

WMA (Windows Media Audio) is Microsoft's proprietary music file format that it is marketing aggressively. WMA files are smaller in size than MP3 files, but still retain a decent level of sound quality. This format is getting very popular in websites for sampling music and also in portable music players. However, whether WMA will overtake the popularity of MP3 remains to be seen.

The WAV File Format

A wave file is characterized by the file extension ".wav". This music file format provides raw, uncompressed audio data. Originally invented by Microsoft, wave files are still used widely (examples include your start up and shut down sounds in Windows). Audio quality is excellent, but the file size is huge. A full pop song in wave format may take up to 30 MB of disk space or more.

The AIFF File Format

The AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is a popular music file formats used in the Apple Macintosh operating system. In a way, they are the Macintosh equivalent of wave files. AIFF files have the file extension ".aif" when accessed via a PC. They contain raw audio data (which result in excellent sound quality) but take up a large amount of disk space.

The MIDI File Format

The MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) file format was originally created for recording and playing music on digital synthesizers. MIDI files are very small in size. The reason for this is that the MIDI file only contains information on how music is produced (e.g. note-ons and note-offs). The sound card which plays back the MIDI file takes this information and plays back music using an in-built soundcard wavetable.

The RA File Format

RA (RealAudio) files support streaming technology. Created by Progressive Networks, an RA file is highly optimized for live, streaming audio from websites. RA files are best played back on RealAudio players which are freely downloadable from Progressive Networks.

Conclusion

Well, that wraps up our coverage of the most popular music file formats out there. You may be interested to know that there are many software applications which can convert music from one format to another (e.g. MP3 to WAV or WAV to AIFF). Do a search for these applications at www.download.com.

About The Author

Gary Hendricks - http://digital-music-guide.com

gary_hendricks@digital-music-guide.com

---

Learning To Play The Piano With Chords

Learning piano chords can help you in all your piano playing. For me chords are the easiest way to play and the simplest way to embellish my... Read More

Form - Giving Shape to Your Music

Do you ramble on endlessly with your improvisations? If so, good. This has its place in music making and in new age piano playing in particularly. Just... Read More

How To Play Guitar Like a Pro!

Having taught the guitar for many years, I see the majority of beginners experiencing the same problems and making the same mistakes over and over again in... Read More

Piano Playing Your Way: How To Have More Fun Playing The Piano Than You Ever Have Before

Piano playing doesn't have to be boring. There's no law that says you have to play a song the same way everyone else plays it. By learning... Read More

Radio - What?s Happened To It?

Remember when radio stations played great music?OK, before you accuse me of sounding like your dad, I'll rephrase that. Remember when radio stations played an exciting variety... Read More

Liberate your iPod

When Akio Morita came up with the idea of the Sony Walkman all of his colleagues at the thought he was completely insane. The general consensus was... Read More

Make Money with Your Music ? the Top 5 Ways

Songwriters dream of making their living by writing, and sometimes performing, their songs. But until that day comes they've got to make a living somehow! Sound familiar?With... Read More

How To Find The Right Guitar Teacher

Finding a good teacher is not always easy, at any level. At the beginner level it is important to get on the right foot and as an... Read More

How to Stop Thinking and Start Playing

Learning how to improvise is confusing for most. The sheer number of choices becomes a burden. Should I play this note? What chord next? Where do I... Read More

How I Learned How To Play The Guitar After Giving Up In Disgust

I was 17 at the time (the Beatles era), and it was considered cool to play the guitar. I had a little training in music in elementary... Read More

How to Buy an Electric Guitar Online

With the increased proliferation of online guitar and musical equipment stores, as well as the lower prices and greater selection that these stores generally offer, most people... Read More

Piano Playing For Adults: More Fun Than Sex And Not Nearly As Dangerous!

OK, so I lied about the fun part.Maybe piano playing is the just 2nd most fun thing adults can do. But 2nd place isn't bad when you... Read More

How Many Chords Are There, Anyway?

Since chords (the main component of harmony) are one of the three most vital elements of music ? the others being melody and rhythm ? it would... Read More

The Joy of Spontaneous Expression

Do you remember finger-painting as a child? How fun it was. How exciting to be able to dip your fingers into a color that called out to... Read More

Music for Cross Cultural Accelerated Learning

The Search for the Right MusicEver since Georgi Lozonav, the noted Bulgarian physicist and accelerated learning pioneer, conducted his ground breaking studies about the impact of music... Read More

Reasons to Ditch Your Guitar Pick

Lately, I haven't been using my guitar pick all that much. I got this tab book of some good ol' Gatemouth Brown finger picking blues. I've been... Read More

Home Run Gigs

Are you still playing your heart out to small audiences on gigs at unappreciative dives (excuse me, I meant to say nightclubs) that feel paying you a... Read More

Creating Your Own Compositions

The idea of actually creating a complete piece of music to play frightens many students. They just don't understand how someone could come up with something, put... Read More

Guitar Performance - Make The Most of It!

Getting ready for any type of guitar performance can be a little scary at first, but if you are well prepared, you will find the experience much... Read More

The Secrets of Correctly Stringing Your Guitar

Why do you care about stringing your guitar you may ask. Well the reason is simple. It will make you sound better because if your guitar is... Read More

How to Construct Chords and Improvise

How To Construct Basic Chords on the PianoThe easiest way to start learning how to build chords is to practice their constructions in the key of C... Read More

Music Bytes - Tips For Saving On Professional Software For Musicians, Part I

If you are outraged by the prices software giants demand for their tools, it's time to check out shareware. Small independent developers often provide similar solutions that... Read More

Things To Know When Shopping For A Guitar Amplifier

Guitar amplifiers are a major part of your tone. Some amps can do many things well, while others excel at producing specific tonal qualities. When shopping for... Read More

How to Compose Using ABA Form

ABA form is like a musical sandwich. You have the 2 slices of bread with the contrasting meat and cheese on the inside. Instead of bread and... Read More

Is the Mainstream Ready Once Again for Dance Music?

Not since the heyday of Dance/Pop Artists like Taylor Dayne and Paula Abdul has Dance Music been a mainstream category. Today, "Dance Music" as defined by Billboard's... Read More

RAP Music and Brain Washing Issues

I am not sure if anyone has been watching out there, about the types of music that we are listening to. Let us look at them for... Read More